CM Punk, the retired pro wrestler transitioning to MMA, opened as a betting underdog for his UFC debut against welterweight Mickey Gall.
The news came in a Tuesday tweet from BestFightOdds (h/t Ryan McKinnell of Yahoo Sports):
UFC 199: Rockhold vs. Weidman 2: Cm Punk (+230) vs. Mickey Gall (-300) https://t.co/uBqh4n09r5 #ufc199
— BestFightOdds (@BestFightOdds) February 9, 2016
The 24-year-old Gall (2-0) was all but anonymous in the MMA community until recently, when he was tabbed as Punk's first opponent. All he had to do was defeat Mike Jackson—an MMA broadcaster who had never competed professionally—at UFC Fight Night 82.
Gall won the bout by TKO just 45 seconds into the first round. Punk (Phil Brooks) entered the Octagon afterward for a faceoff.
After the fight, Gall said the following, via Sherdog's Tristen Critchfield:
It feels amazing to be here in this moment. The whole time I’ve been having a lot of fun, even the media side of things. I’ve been getting a lot more love than hate with it being my debut in the UFC. I know I’m ready for CM Punk and it was really cool to get a chance to talk with him in the Octagon, but now I’m ready to get back to training.
Although there is no concrete date yet for the matchup, UFC President Dana White recently said the company was eyeing UFC 199 in June, although Punk has identified UFC 200 in July as his preferred date.
“It’s not up to me, but if I have any stroke at all I’m still saying [UFC 200]," Punk said, according to the Sherdog report. “But we’ll have to wait and see.”
White indicated that the promotion will make a concrete announcement "soon" on the fight date.
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